NDTV Ground Report: Businesses in Greece Hit Hard, Thousands of Sailors Out of Jobs
PIRAEUS: In Piraeus, the harbour town west of Athens, a group of sailors take turns to squat a ferry they once worked on. Protest banners flutter in the air. “Our money!” says one; “we’re starving” says another. These sailors say they haven’t been paid salaries for more than nine months and they don’t want to let the ferry company sell the vessel for scrap. “There are several hundred like us,” says a 40-year-old sailor, preparing a makeshift shower on the ferry with a water can. “Too many haven’t been able to find other jobs.”
Greece has more than 160 inhabited islands and the coastal shipping industry used to play and important part in the nation’s economy. But since the crisis, the ferry sector has been ailing. 50 per cent of ferries have gone out of business during the last five crisis-ridden years, leaving sailors out of jobs and without any social security cover.
Apostolis Banasios, also an unemployed sailor, says many ferry company owners hit by the crisis literally abandon ship. “The situation here is that all the companies, not only this one take the profits, puts it in offshore banks”, says Banasios. “When the crisis comes they don’t have too many profits so they don’t bring money back to repair the ships or to play salaries.”
Banasios says he is not afraid of the drachma replacing the euro as he believes in the long run it will help his children have a better future.
“I have no money anyway, so I have nothing to lose. Banasios says the crisis is punishing the poor and “the rich need to start paying.”
Greek shipping industry giants are not pitching in either. Most use Greek harbours but register their companies abroad, sending profits offshore. Greece is struggling with rampant corruption and tax evasion that have aggravated the crisis even further.
Greek businesses, particularly construction, pharmaceuticals and retail have been hit hard by the current crisis.
25 per cent of the Greek population and 50 per cent of youth are unemployed.
